Superman

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Since 1939, Superman has starred in both Action Comics and his own title within the DC Universe. He interacts with allies like Wonder Woman and Batman as a Justice League member. Different versions exist across alternative universes: the Earth-Two version from the Golden Age and the Earth-One version from the Silver and Bronze Ages. His persona inspired characters such as Supergirl, Superboy, and Krypto the Superdog. His enemies include Brainiac, General Zod, and his archenemy Lex Luthor. Historically, he was the best-selling superhero in American comic books until the 1980s and remains the highest-grossing when considering the entire genre's history since 1938.

In Their Own Story

The character's origins trace back to 1932, when Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster met at Glenville High School in Cleveland. In January 1933, Siegel published a short story titled 'The Reign of the Super-Man' featuring a villain named Bill Dunn who gained psychic powers via an experimental drug before losing them. After newspaper editors rejected their early comic strip ideas for lacking sensationalism, Siegel revised the concept into a heroic figure with superhuman strength and bullet-proof skin. In 1934, a script sent to artist Russell Keaton introduced the time-travel origin where a boy from a future Earth explodes is found by Sam and Molly Kent. Eventually, Siegel and Shuster reconciled, shifting the origin to an alien from Krypton. Shuster designed the familiar costume of tights with an 'S' on the chest, over-shorts, and a cape. They established Clark as a timid journalist and Lois Lane as his love interest who does not realize he is Superman.

Reader's Guide

To understand Superman's development, note that Siegel initially sought to replace Shuster with an established artist due to rejections, but they reconciled before finding work with National Allied Publications in June 1935. In July 1933, artist Leo O'Mealia produced lost strips based on a script where Superman was a 'scientist-adventurer' from the far future. By November 1934, Russell Keaton produced two weeks of strips featuring a special 'uniform,' though the design was not described. The final breakthrough came when Siegel and Shuster showed their work to Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, who published two of their other strips in New Fun Comics #6 but offered to publish Superman only after demonstrating irresponsible business practices like slow responses and non-payment, leading the duo to refuse the offer and continue marketing to syndicates themselves.

Did You Know?

• The original 1933 concept for 'Super-Man' was a villain named Bill Dunn who gained mind-reading and mind-control powers from an experimental drug.
• Artist Russell Keaton produced two weeks of strips in November 1934 that mentioned a special 'uniform' but did not describe it.
• Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster refused a book deal from Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson because he had failed to pay them for work in New Fun Comics #6.
• Bud Collyer voiced Superman in both the radio series (1940–1951) and the Fleischer/Famous Studios animated shorts (1941–1943).
• Kirk Alyn played Superman in film serials released in 1948 and 1950, preceding Christopher Reeve's portrayal in 1978.